Some days, you just have to mix things up in the kitchen. Put some Tex-Mex flair in your pasta, savory in your sweet, or, in the case of this recipe, Middle Eastern spices in your tacos. Here, potatoes are roasted with za’atar – a richly flavorful spice blend made from grinding thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds together, aleppo pepper, and lemon, giving them a tart, spicy and nutty flavor profile. They are then mixed with swiss chard and beans that have been flavored with some smoked paprika and used as a taco filling. The flavor combination is one that will keep your palate intrigued and will have you going back for bite after healthy bite. Read More

Once the holidays start rolling in, my mind goes to rice. Whenever we had a family holiday dinner, there was always rice. The yellow rice with raisins and almonds, which to be fully honest, I wasn’t a fan of. The yellow color of the rice was surely artificial and I only like raisins as a snack, not in my rice. This rice recipe stirs up from that holiday rice served at my family table, this time with great spices and better dried fruits (at least in my opinion…sorry, Grandma!)

This version includes powdered turmeric and Aleppo pepper for spices; plump dried prunes and chewy dates add texture and nutrients; the rice is infused with cardamom pods and cinnamon, which make your home smell glorious while it’s cooking.

Serve this as the perfect side dish to a holiday meal, bringing color and texture to the table. You can substitute the prunes and dates for any dried fruit you have on hand: apricots, mangoes, and even dried pineapple would work perfectly in this dish.

By Suzannah Schneider

Meet the Team

Whether it’s finding the best goat tacos in LA, spotting a well-worn vintage bag in Sweden, or interviewing the “crab man” selling seafood on a corner in Harlem, we tell stories seen from Chef Marcus Samuelsson‘s point of view. MarcusSamuelsson.com strives to create conversations about food, nutrition, culture, art, and design. We want to find Read More